JP2004196935A - Gas clathrate, method and apparatus for preparing the same and method and apparatus for storing gas clathrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a stable gas clathrate which does not dissociate even under relatively mild physical conditions, and its preparing method and apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The gas clathrate is formed of a gas molecule as the guest molecule and a liquid molecule as the host molecule, and is composed of an at least two-layer structure composed of a clathrate constituting a nucleus part and a clathrate constituting a shell part covering the nucleus part which are different from each other, and the gas clathrate-forming physical conditions for the gas clathrate 3 which constitutes the shell part are milder than those for the gas clathrate 1 which constitutes the nucleus part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gas clathrate formed by using gas molecules as guest molecules and liquid molecules as host molecules, a method and an apparatus for producing the same, and a method and an apparatus for storing the gas clathrate.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The gas clathrate (may be simply referred to as “clathrate”. When the host substance is water, it is referred to as gas hydrate, but when referred to as gas clathrate in this specification, it includes gas hydrate). Gas molecules are taken into the inside of a cage structure composed of liquid molecules, and can store a large amount of gas per unit volume. Therefore, application to transport and storage of natural gas and the like has attracted attention.
The gas clathrate does not decompose below the temperature and above the pressure indicated by the equilibrium curve specific to each type of gas. However, the temperature and pressure are low and high, for example, pure methane hydrate is about -78 ° C or less at atmospheric pressure.
As described above, although the gas clathrate has an excellent gas storage amount per unit volume, there is a problem that stable conditions are severe.
[0003]
By the way, it is known that, even at −78 ° C. or more under atmospheric pressure, ice can serve as a kind of pressure vessel by dispersing methane hydrate in ice at a temperature below freezing, and dissociation thereof can be prevented. . (Self-preserving effect)
Therefore, it has been proposed to produce hydrates above the freezing point and stabilize the hydrate by cooling the hydrate to below the freezing point with a small amount of water remaining after dehydrating unreacted water and covering the hydrate with ice. (For example, see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-303083 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the method of cooling the hydrate to below freezing with a small amount of water remaining after dehydrating unreacted water and covering the hydrate with ice as in the above-mentioned conventional example, the hydrate is unevenly distributed due to the uneven distribution of water after dehydration. In some cases, the generated ice is unevenly distributed, and the ice does not function sufficiently as a pressure vessel.
On the other hand, in order to uniformly infiltrate water throughout the hydrate, a large amount of water is required, the proportion of gas in the entire mixture of hydrate and ice is reduced, and transport and storage efficiency is reduced.
[0006]
The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stable gas clathrate that does not dissociate even under relatively mild physical conditions, and a method and an apparatus for producing the same.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gas clathrate storage method and apparatus capable of reliably stabilizing a clathrate without lowering transport and storage efficiency.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The gas clathrate according to the present invention is a gas clathrate formed by using gas molecules as guest molecules and liquid molecules as host molecules, wherein the core portion and the shell portion covering the core portion are formed of different gas clathrates. It is characterized in that the clathrate-generating physical conditions of the gas clathrate guest molecules constituting the shell portion are more relaxed than the gas clathrate-generating physical conditions of the gas clathrate guest molecules constituting the core portion. It is.
[0008]
An ice layer is formed outside the gas clathrate constituting the shell portion.
[0009]
In addition, the gas clathrate producing method according to the present invention produces a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, and the produced first gas clathrate has a clathrate under a physical condition that is more relaxed than the first gas. The second gas is supplied to the first gas clathrate and the environment in which the first gas clathrate is present is set to at least physical conditions for the second gas to be clathrated, thereby causing the second gas to surround the first gas clathrate with guest molecules. Forming a shell of a second gas clathrate to produce a clathrate having a two-layer structure.
[0010]
Further, the gas clathrate producing apparatus according to the present invention includes a storage tank for storing the first gas clathrate having the first gas as a guest molecule, and the clathrate is formed in the storage tank under a physical condition that is lower than that of the first gas. Gas supply means for supplying a second gas to be supplied, pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in the storage tank, and temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature in the storage tank. .
[0011]
A gas clathrate producing apparatus for producing a gas clathrate by reacting a raw material gas composed of a plurality of mixed gases having different clathrating conditions with a raw material liquid, wherein a first line mixer installed in a raw material liquid supply line A reaction line provided in communication with the first line mixer, a second line mixer provided in the middle of the reaction line, and a source gas supply for supplying the source gas to the second line mixer. Means, a cooling means for cooling the reaction pipe, a separator provided on the outlet side of the reaction pipe and separating gas clathrate and unreacted gas generated in the reaction pipe, a raw material liquid, Unreacted gas supply means for supplying the unreacted gas separated by the separator to the first line mixer.
[0012]
Further, the method for storing a gas clathrate according to the present invention is a method for storing a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, wherein the first gas clathrate has a physical condition that is lower than that of the first gas. The present invention is characterized in that the second gas to be clathrated is supplied, and the environment in which the first gas clathrate exists is set to at least physical conditions for the second gas to be clathrated.
[0013]
Further, the gas clathrate storage device according to the present invention includes a storage tank for storing a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, and a clathrate in the storage tank under a physical condition that is more relaxed than the first gas. Gas supply means for supplying a second gas to be converted, pressure adjustment means for adjusting the pressure in the storage tank, and temperature adjustment means for adjusting the temperature in the storage tank. is there.
[0014]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the structure of a gas clathrate according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this example, a hydrate using water as a host substance will be described as an example.
In the hydrate structure according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), a nucleus at the center is made of methane hydrate 1 having methane molecules as main guest molecules, and a shell portion surrounding the nucleus 1 It has a two-layer structure composed of propane hydrate 3 having a propane molecule as a main guest molecule.
As a comparative example, methane hydrate having a conventional one-layer structure is shown in FIG.
[0015]
The effect obtained by forming the gas hydrate in a two-layer structure will be described below.
FIG. 2 is a hydrate generation equilibrium curve of each gas. In the case of the conventional methane hydrate shown in FIG. 1 (b), as can be seen from the equilibrium curve in FIG. 2, in order to stably store the methane hydrate, a pressure of about 4 MPa or more at 4 ° C. in a methane atmosphere is required. is necessary.
[0016]
On the other hand, in the case of the hydrate having a two-layer structure shown in FIG. 1A, focusing on the shell portion, the main guest molecule of the shell hydrate is propane. It is stable at 0.4 Mpa or more. That is, the shell portion can be stably stored at a pressure of about 1/10 of the methane hydrate having a single layer structure.
[0017]
On the other hand, focusing on the core portion, since the core portion hydrate is methane hydrate, the methane hydrate is clearly decomposed in the propane atmosphere described above. For this reason, the methane molecule should try to separate from the cage structure of the water molecule. However, since the shell of propane hydrate 3 covering the methane hydrate forming the nucleus is stable, it is difficult for methane molecules to escape from the cage structure.
As a result, a stable structure is obtained as a whole of the two-layer hydrate. Therefore, in order to stably store methane hydrate, a pressure of about 4 Mpa or more was required at 4 ° C. in a methane atmosphere, but a pressure of about 0.4 Mpa was sufficient in a propane atmosphere. Storage conditions are greatly eased.
[0018]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, a stable methane hydrate that does not dissociate even under relatively mild physical conditions can be obtained. Therefore, stable storage conditions can be remarkably relaxed, and costs can be reduced in facilities and the like.
[0019]
Embodiment 2 FIG.
Next, an apparatus and a method for manufacturing and storing the hydrate having the two-layer structure described in the first embodiment will be described.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a two-layer hydrate manufacturing / storage device of the present embodiment. The two-layer hydrate production / storage device according to the present embodiment includes a storage container 11 that is connected to a known hydrate production device 7 via a hydrate supply pipe 8 and a valve 9 and stores hydrate, The apparatus includes a stirrer 13 provided in the container 11 for stirring the hydrate in the container, and a temperature controller 15 for adjusting the temperature of the storage container 11.
One end of a gas supply pipe 17 for supplying propane gas is connected to the bottom of the storage container 11, and a propane gas supply device 19 such as a cylinder is connected to the other end of the gas supply pipe 17.
[0021]
The gas supply pipe 17 is provided with a flow rate adjustment valve 21 so that the supply amount of propane gas can be adjusted based on a detection value of a pressure detector 23 provided in the storage container 11. Further, the storage container 11 is connected to a gas discharge tube 25 for gasifying and taking out the stored hydrate, and the gas discharge tube 25 is provided with a valve 27.
[0022]
A method of manufacturing and storing a hydrate having a two-layer structure using the hydrate manufacturing and storage device having the two-layer structure configured as described above will be described.
In the hydrate producing apparatus 7, methane hydrate is produced by a known technique by setting the environmental conditions on the left side of the methane hydrate production equilibrium curve shown in FIG. The methane hydrate produced by the hydrate production apparatus 7 has a single-layer structure as shown in FIG.
The methane hydrate produced by the hydrate production device 7 is supplied to the storage container 11 via the hydrate supply pipe 8 by opening the valve 9. In the storage container 11, the valve 27 is closed. The temperature inside the storage container is adjusted to about -15 ° C. by the temperature adjusting device 15 so that the supplied methane hydrate 12 is not rapidly decomposed.
[0023]
After supplying a predetermined amount of methane hydrate into the storage container 11, the valve 9 is closed to stop the supply. In this state, the valve 21 is opened, and propane gas is charged into the storage container 17 through the gas supply pipe 17 until the partial pressure of propane becomes about 0.2 MPa. Although the propane partial pressure cannot be directly measured by the pressure detector 23, the pressure is set by reading the change in the total pressure in the storage container 11 with the pressure detector 23.
[0024]
As can be seen from FIG. 2, below 5 ° C., the equilibrium curve for the formation of propane hydrate is below the equilibrium curve for the formation of methane hydrate, the physical conditions for formation are loose, and at −5 ° C., the pressure is as low as about 2 MPa.
Therefore, when propane gas is supplied to the storage container 11, if the methane hydrate in the storage container 11 is sufficiently dehydrated, the surface portion is replaced with propane hydrate, and the structure shown in FIG. Change. If the surface of the methane hydrate in the storage container 11 is wet with water, the water and the propane gas react to generate propane hydrate, and the structure shown in FIG. Change.
[0025]
Since the methane partial pressure in the storage container 11 is low to generate methane hydrate, the stored methane hydrate is in an unstable state and easily decomposed. However, by forming a propane hydrate layer on the surface of methane hydrate through the above-described process, the decomposition of methane hydrate gradually converges, and the decomposition reaction stops at the stage when the entire surface is covered with propane hydrate. I do.
In this way, by covering the methane hydrate surface with propane hydrate composed of propane, which is easier to hydrate than methane, methane hydrate can be stably stored under milder conditions.
In addition, when methane hydrate is stirred by the stirrer 13 during propane filling, propane hydrate can be formed on the surface of methane hydrate in a shorter time.
[0026]
In order to gasify and supply the stored methane hydrate to the outside, the methane hydrate is decomposed by raising the temperature inside the storage container 11 by the temperature control device 15, and the valve 27 is opened to open the gas discharge pipe 25. The gas may be supplied to the outside via the.
[0027]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the methane hydrate serving as a core can be covered with propane hydrate serving as a shell to form a two-layer structure. Can be stored stably.
[0028]
When water is present around the propane hydrate constituting the shell portion of the two-layer structure, the water becomes an ice shell and covers the propane hydrate, so that the propane hydrate is further stabilized.
[0029]
Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing main components of another embodiment of the present invention. First, the components of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, a case where natural gas is hydrated will be described as an example.
The gas hydrate production apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a gas booster 31 for increasing the pressure of a raw material gas such as natural gas, and a raw water (in this specification, “raw water” means only raw water. The raw water pumps 33 and 49 for supplying the raw water and the return water from the separator 39 described later are mixed. A first line mixer 35a for dissolving the return gas in the raw water, a reaction pipe 37 which is provided in the middle of the reaction pipe 37 and a reaction pipe 37 for generating a gas hydrate by cooling and flowing the mixture mixed by the line mixer 35a. A second line mixer 35b for mixing and dissolving the raw material gas in the raw water flowing through the pipe 37, a separation for separating the gas hydrate generated in the reaction pipe 37, the unreacted gas, and the raw water. And a 39.
[0030]
The components are connected by pipes shown by solid lines with arrows in the figure. A gas flow control valve 42a, 42b for adjusting a gas flow rate is provided in a piping line for supplying gas (when simply referred to as "gas" includes both "source gas" and "return gas") to the line mixers 35a, 35b. Each is provided.
Further, a flow rate control valve 44 for adjusting the flow rate of the raw water is provided in a piping line leading from the raw material pumps 33 and 49 to the line mixer 35a.
Further, a line for supplying the raw material gas pressurized by the gas pressure booster 31 to the separator 39 is provided with a gas flow rate adjusting valve 42c for adjusting the supply gas amount. A gas flow regulating valve 42d and a gas booster 32 are provided in a line returning to the hydrate generation line. Then, the gas flow control valves 42c and 42d are controlled based on the signal of the pressure detector 40 for detecting the pressure in the separator 39 provided in the separator 39, and the pressure in the separator 39 is adjusted.
[0031]
The configuration of the main components among the above components will be described in more detail.
As shown in FIG. 5 (quoted from Seika Sangyo Co., Ltd., “OHR Line Mixer” catalog, page 7), the line mixers 35a and 35b according to the present embodiment have two stages with a large diameter at the entrance side and a small diameter at the exit side. A cylindrical body 41 having a wing body 43 called a guide vane in a large diameter portion 41a of the cylindrical body 41, and a plurality of wings 43 extending from the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder to the center in a small diameter portion 41b ahead of the wing body 43. Has a mushroom-shaped collision body 45.
[0032]
In such line mixers 35a and 35b, the raw water pressurized by the raw water pump 33 is supplied to the line mixers 35a and 35b, turned into a swirling flow by the wing body 43, and pushed outward by violent centrifugal force. Is further intensely stirred by the mushroom-shaped collision body 45. The gas is entrained therein and broken into ultrafine bubbles, and the raw water and the gas are mixed. As a result, the contact area between the gas and the raw water increases, and the gas efficiently dissolves in the raw water.
[0033]
The reaction pipe 37 is formed of a bent pipe, and the peripheral surface of the pipe is cooled by a chiller 47. As described above, since the use of the reaction pipe 37 enables efficient cooling from the surroundings, the gas / raw water is directly cooled by a cooling coil or the like as conventionally performed in general. This eliminates the necessity, and the configuration of the device can be simplified and made compact.
[0034]
It is to be noted that such a reaction pipe 37 can be used because the mixing and dissolving of the raw material gas and the raw water are performed by the line mixers 35a and 35b, and the reaction pipe 37 may be configured mainly with respect to cooling. Because you can. That is, in general, the mixing and dissolving of the raw material gas and the raw water and the reaction cooling are generally performed in a hydrate generating vessel in a tank shape, so that a space having a certain expanse is required for the mixing and dissolving. In the present embodiment, the mixing and dissolving of the raw material gas and the raw water and the cooling of the reaction were separated from each other, whereas the cooling could not be performed only from around the container. As a result, cooling with a simple configuration as in the above example becomes possible.
[0035]
The separator 39 separates gas hydrate, unreacted gas, and raw water. Examples of the separator 39 include a decanter, a cyclone, a centrifugal separator, a belt press, a screw concentrator / dehydrator, and a rotary. A dryer or the like is conceivable.
[0036]
Next, a gas hydrate production method using the apparatus of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.
The source gas pressurized to a predetermined pressure by the gas pressure booster 31 is supplied to the line mixer 35b via the gas flow control valve 42b. The raw water pumped to a predetermined pressure by the raw water pump 33 is supplied to the line mixer 35 a via the flow rate control valve 44. However, at this stage, since the return gas is not supplied to the line mixer 35a, the raw water flows through the reaction pipe 37 through the line mixer 35a and is supplied to the line mixer 35b.
[0037]
The raw material gas and raw water supplied to the line mixer 35b are mixed with a violent force by the above-described mechanism. At this time, the raw material gas becomes fine bubbles and is mixed into the raw water, so that the dissolution of the raw material gas is promoted.
The raw material water in which the raw material gas is dissolved (containing undissolved fine bubbles) is sent to the reaction pipe 37 cooled by the chiller 47.
At the start of the operation, the pressure of the separator is maintained at the hydrate generation conditions at 42c and 42d, and the pressure of the reaction pipe 37 communicating with the separator is higher than that. Is started.
[0038]
Here, the mechanism of hydrate generation in the reaction pipe 37 will be described.
The raw material gas and the raw material water are mixed by the line mixer 35b, and the raw material gas becomes fine bubbles and is dissolved in the raw material water to reach an equilibrium concentration of the whole raw material water.
When the raw water reaches the equilibrium concentration, the pressure P in the reaction pipe 7 is higher than the minimum hydrate generation pressure P ₀ , and the temperature T in each part of the reaction pipe 37 is lower than the maximum hydrate formation temperature T _0. Then, generation of gas hydrate is started.
At this time, methane and propane, which constitute natural gas, are dissolved in the raw water, but since propane is more likely to be hydrated, gas hydrate having a larger propane content than the raw gas composition is generated. You.
[0039]
Although the generation of gas hydrate involves heat generation, the temperature of the reaction pipe 37 is maintained at a temperature lower than the maximum hydrate formation temperature T ₀ by removing heat corresponding to the heat generation by cooling the chiller 47. Dripping. It should be noted that if the material water is excessively cooled, the raw material water solidifies and the flow in the reaction pipe 37 is hindered. Therefore, the cooling capacity of the chiller 47 is set so that the raw water does not fall below the freezing point.
[0040]
When gas hydrate is generated, the dissolved gas concentration decreases, and the raw material gas further dissolves until the equilibrium concentration is reached.At the same time, a gas hydrate with a high propane content is further generated, and the generated gas hydrate is mixed with the raw water. It flows through the reaction pipe 37.
After the gas hydrate having a high propane content is generated, methane dissolves in the raw water, and a gas hydrate containing more methane than the raw material gas composition starts to be generated, and the generated gas hydrate is The unreacted gas and raw water are sent to the separator 39.
[0041]
At this time, the unreacted gas has a higher methane content than the source gas composition (hereinafter, a gas having a high methane content is referred to as methane-rich). When the methane-rich unreacted gas is sent to the separator 39, the pressure inside the separator 39 increases. When the pressure detecting means 40 detects that the pressure in the separator exceeds a preset value, the gas flow control valve 42d is opened by a control means (not shown). When the gas flow control valve 42d is opened, the methane-rich gas is pressurized by the gas booster 32 and supplied to the line mixer 35a.
[0042]
The methane-rich gas supplied to the line mixer 35a is mixed with the raw water and dissolved in the raw water by the mechanism described above. Then, it is sent to the reaction pipe 37 and hydration starts. Here, the generated hydrate is methane-rich, which flows through the reaction pipe 37 and is supplied to the line mixer 35b. In the line mixer 35b, the supplied methane-rich hydrate and the raw material gas are mixed. Since the raw material gas supplied here contains more propane than the return gas, it is easier to hydrate than the return gas, and this is formed like a shell outside the methane-rich hydrate. That is, the state is as shown in FIG.
By repeating the above steps, the hydrate having the two-layer structure shown in FIG. 1A is continuously generated.
[0043]
In the separator 39, gas hydrate, unreacted gas, and raw water are separated, and the separated raw water is supplied to the line mixer 35a again by the pump 49.
On the other hand, the generated gas hydrate is taken out of the separator 39 and sent to a post-treatment step.
[0044]
In the separator 39, the water level in the separator 39 is detected by the level meter 51, and the water level in the separator 39 is controlled so as to be equal to or higher than a certain level. This is because the raw water has a water sealing effect so that the gas does not flow into the raw water return line. Then, raw water unnecessary for sealing is raised to a predetermined pressure by the raw water pump 49 and supplied to the line mixer 35a.
[0045]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, stabilized gas hydrate having a two-layer structure is continuously generated.
Further, in the present embodiment, the reaction between the raw water and the raw gas is performed while moving the raw water in a pipeline, and therefore, in this gas hydrate generation step, all of the reaction (the generated gas hydrate, the unreacted gas, Gas and raw water) are once sent to the separator 39, and there is no need for a mechanism for extracting only the gas hydrate, which also has the effect of simplifying the configuration of the apparatus.
[0046]
Furthermore, since the raw material gas is dissolved in the raw water continuously by the line mixers 35a and 35b each having a cylindrical body, space can be efficiently reduced.
In addition, as a result of dissolving the raw material gas in the raw water using the line mixers 35a and 35b separate from the hydrate generation container, a pipe-shaped reaction pipe 37 is used instead of the large-diameter hydrate generation container. Thus, a simple and compact cooling means for cooling the peripheral surface of the pipeline is made possible.
In addition, since both the dissolution of the raw material gas by the line mixers 35a and 35b and the generation of the gas hydrate in the reaction pipe 37 are continuously performed, the production efficiency of the gas hydrate can be significantly improved. .
[0047]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made with natural gas containing methane gas as a main component as a raw material gas. However, a similar effect can be obtained if a plurality of types of mixed gas having different eases of hydration are used.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the type of the raw water is not specified, but for example, freshwater, seawater, antifreeze, and the like can be considered. It is also conceivable to use a raw material liquid such as a liquid host substance or a host substance solution instead of the raw water.
[0048]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, the gas clathrate is formed such that the clathrate generation physical condition of the guest molecule of the gas clathrate constituting the shell portion is lower than the gas clathrate generation physical condition constituting the core portion. Because of the layer structure, a stable gas clathrate that does not dissociate even under relatively mild physical conditions is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a structure of a gas clathrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a hydrate generation equilibrium curve of each gas.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a two-layer hydrate production / storage device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a system diagram showing main components of another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a detailed explanatory view of some of the devices shown in FIG. 4;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Methane hydrate 3 Propane hydrate 11 Storage container 15 Temperature control device 19 Propane gas supply device 23 Pressure detector 31, 32 Gas pressure booster 35a, 35b Line mixer 37 Reaction line 39 Separator 47 Chiller

Claims (7)

A gas clathrate formed by using a gas molecule as a guest molecule and a liquid molecule as a host molecule, wherein the core portion and a shell portion covering the core portion have at least a two-layer structure composed of different gas clathrates, and constitute a shell portion. A gas clathrate characterized in that the clathrate generation physical conditions of the guest molecules of the gas clathrate are looser than the gas clathrate generation physical conditions of the guest molecules of the gas clathrate constituting the core. 2. The gas clathrate according to claim 1, wherein an ice layer is formed outside the gas clathrate constituting the shell portion. A first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule is produced, and a second gas for clathrating under a physical condition that is less than that of the first gas is supplied to the produced first gas clathrate. By setting the environment in which the clathrate exists at least under the physical condition that the second gas is converted into a clathrate, a shell of the second gas clathrate having the second gas as a guest molecule is formed around the first gas clathrate. A method for producing a gas clathrate, comprising producing a clathrate having a two-layer structure. A storage tank for storing a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, gas supply means for supplying the storage tank with a second gas to be clathlated under less physical conditions than the first gas, A gas clathrate manufacturing apparatus, comprising: pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in a storage tank; and temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature in the storage tank. A gas clathrate producing apparatus for producing a gas clathrate by reacting a raw material gas and a raw material liquid comprising a plurality of mixed gases having different clathrating conditions,
A first line mixer provided in the raw material liquid supply line, a reaction pipe provided in communication with the first line mixer, a second line mixer provided in the middle of the reaction pipe, Source gas supply means for supplying the source gas to the line mixer; cooling means for cooling the reaction pipe; and a gas clathrate which is provided on the outlet side of the reaction pipe and is generated in the reaction pipe and which has not reacted. An apparatus for producing a gas clathrate, comprising: a separator for separating a gas and a raw material liquid; and an unreacted gas supply means for supplying the unreacted gas separated by the separator to the first line mixer. A method of storing a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, wherein a first gas is supplied with a second gas which is clathrated under less physical conditions than the first gas. A gas clathrate storage method, wherein an environment in which a gas clathrate exists is set to at least physical conditions under which the second gas is clathrated. A storage tank for storing a first gas clathrate having a first gas as a guest molecule, gas supply means for supplying the storage tank with a second gas to be clathlated under less physical conditions than the first gas, A gas clathrate storage device, comprising: pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure in a storage tank; and temperature adjusting means for adjusting the temperature in the storage tank.

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